Endoscopes have continued to evolve since their inception in the 1800's because of their utility and versatility. Medical endoscopes can be used for performing medical procedures which can include viewing and manipulating tissues in body cavities. While relatively large endoscope probes can be used in existing body channels for some types of procedures, other relatively small endoscope probes can be used to perform intricate surgery through relatively small incisions. Because of these relatively small incisions, patient recovery time and surgical complications can be significantly reduced when compared to similar procedures using non-endoscopic techniques.
A conventional endoscope can have a probe with a distal end for insertion through an incision into a body cavity. The probe can be rigid or flexible and can include one or more channels that extend from the distal end to a proximal end. The probe can include an imaging fiber bundle that is used in conjunction with a viewing apparatus for viewing objects in a field of view in the body cavity. The probe can also include one or more illumination fibers arranged to transfer light from an illumination source to illuminate the field of view, and can include a working channel for guiding tools through the probe into the body cavity for performing surgical techniques.
A challenge in medical endoscopes is economical manufacturing and utilization. A typical medical endoscope can cost thousands of dollars. Historically, surgical endoscopes have been relatively expensive and have been sterilized and reused to avoid the cost of having to replace the instrument after every procedure. Sterilization and reuse can be economical and safe for endoscopes having relatively large probes. On the other hand, Applicants submit that effective and economical sterilization techniques have not been realized for a clinical setting for endoscopes having smaller channels that are on the order of 1 mm or less. Because of this, some smaller endoscopes are disposed of following surgery which can increase the cost of the procedure.
Applicants recognize that endoscopy costs can be significantly decreased if the working assembly of the endoscope can be removed from the imaging assembly. The working assembly can be disposable and can have as short an imaging fiber as practical, which can help decrease unit cost for the disposable working assembly. In order to achieve this however, it can be necessary to have a connector which connects the disposable, single-use working assembly to the imaging assembly through which images may be transferred. While methods of connection exist, they are typically bulky and do not lend themselves to quick connection, such as by snapping into place, nor are they small and light. Applicants recognize that useful connector embodiments include features such as, for example: a small size in order to allow it, along with the working assembly of the endoscope, to be easily held and manipulated by the practitioner; and extremely tight positional accuracy after thousands of connections. None of these useful embodiments are believed to be available with conventional endoscope devices.
The present invention provides a highly advantageous system and method that are submitted to resolve the foregoing problems and concerns while providing still further advantages, as described hereinafter.